Mary Tyler Moore to get SAG lifetime award

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Beloved actress Mary Tyler Moore, best known for the 1960s and 70s TV series "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," is being honored with a lifetime achievement award by the Screen Actors Guild.

Moore, 74, also a producer and fund-raiser for diabetes research, will be presented with the award at the Screen Actors Guild's annual film and television awards ceremony in January, the guild said on Thursday.

Moore, winner of seven Emmys for her success in U.S. television, first found fame at age 23 when she was cast as Laura Petrie, the wife of comedian Dick Van Dyke in his 1960s sitcom.

She went on to develop and star in her own show playing independent, single career woman Mary Richards in a workplace comedy set in a local TV news station.

"Mary Tyler Moore won our hearts as Laura Petrie and Mary Richards, our respect as her production company became synonymous with quality television, our awe as she tackled difficult subject matter in film and on Broadway, and our admiration she turned her public recognition into a catalyst to draw attention to critical and deeply personal health and social issues," said Screen Actors Guild national president Ken Howard.

Moore was also Oscar-nominated for her performance as an icy mother struggling to connect with her son in the 1980 movie "Ordinary People."

Moore was diagnosed with diabetes at age 33. In May, she underwent elective surgery to remove a benign tumor in the lining tissue of her brain.

The Screen Actors Guild represents more than 125,000 actors who work in television, film, commercials and videogames. Moore will receive her award on January 29, when the group also chooses the top movie and TV performances of 2011 at the height of the Hollywood awards season.